Floor drain system

ABSTRACT

A floor drain system  10  having a grating frame  34  for accommodating a drain grating  12 , an equalizing pipe  38  on which the grating frame  34  is held and which is disposed height-adjustably on a further component of the floor drain system  10  in order to equalize a floor covering thickness, and an odor trap  18 , the equalizing pipe  38  and/or the grating frame  34  being designed such that the odor trap  18  can be fixed onto the latter.

The present invention relates to a floor drain system having a grating frame for accommodating a drain grating, an equalizing pipe on which the grating frame is held and which is disposed height-adjustably on a further component of the floor drain system in order to equalize a floor covering thickness, and an odor trap.

These types of floor drain system are known in the prior art. They serve to feed water that has collected on the floor into a corresponding waste water system.

An example of a known floor drain system 100 which is marketed by the applicant under the trade name “Schlüter Kerdi Drain” is illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 3. The floor drain system 100 comprises a drain grating 102 on which a number of drain openings 104, through which waste water can flow off, and holes 106 for accommodating attachment screws (not shown) are formed. The drain grating 102 is placed into a grating frame 108 and screwed onto the latter. The grating frame 108 is in turn attached to an equalizing pipe 110 which is provided in order to equalize a floor covering thickness. The floor drain system 100 further comprises an equalizing ring 112. As a further component the floor drain system 100 has a sealing sleeve 116, designed like a mat, only half of which is illustrated in FIG. 3 for illustrative purposes. In order to equalize a thickness of an intermediate layer a height compensation device 118 is provided which is made up of a pipe section 120 and a support flange 122 projecting radially outwards and formed on the end of the pipe section 120. In order to accommodate the equalizing ring 112 a substantially annular indentation 123 is provided on the support flange of the height compensation device 118. The outer diameter of the annular indentation 123 is designed to be greater than the outer diameter of the equalizing ring 112, and the outer diameter of the equalizing pipe 110 is smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe section 120 so that the equalizing ring 112 can be moved within the annular indentation 123 and the equalizing pipe 110 can be moved within the pipe section 120 so as to be able to adjust the position of the grating frame 108 within certain limits when fitting. Along its outer circumference the support flange 122 is further provided with a plurality of passage openings 124 which when fitting the floor drain system 100 bring about clamping of the height compensation device 118 to the mortar or adhesive used. In order to prevent any unpleasant odors from escaping, the floor drain system 100 further comprises an odor trap 126 which has a base element 128 designed like a cup and an insert element 130. The base element 128 is made up of a cup-shaped section 132 and an annular section 134 which is held by spacing elements 134 on the upper side of the cup-shaped section 132, and defines a support surface for the insert element 130. The insert element 130 is designed to be substantially funnel-shaped, and has on its upper end an annular groove 138 in which an O ring 140 is held. The floor drain system 100 further comprises a drain housing 142 with a pot-shaped section 144, a tubular drain 146 extending to the side from the pot-shaped section 144, and an annular flange section 148 formed on the upper end of the pot-shaped section 144 and extending radially outwards, which defines an inlet opening 151 delimited by a seal 150. Beneath the inlet opening 151, within the pot-shaped section 144, projections 152 protruding radially inwards are formed which form support surfaces for the lower side of the annular section 136 of the odor trap 126.

In order to fit the floor drain system 100 shown in FIG. 3 the drain housing 142 is first of all inserted into an opening of a support structure with corresponding dimensions such that the flange section 148 lies on the upper side of the support structure. Then the drain 146 of the drain housing 142 is connected to an existing drainage system.

The insert element 130 is then inserted into the cup-shaped section 132 and introduced along with the latter into the inlet opening 151 of the drain housing 142 until the lower side of the annular section 136 of the odor trap 126 comes to rest on the upper side of the projections 152. In this position the odor trap 126 and the drain housing 142 are sealed in relation to one another by means of the O ring 140 provided on the insert element 130.

In a next step an intermediate layer, by means of which an incline sloping towards the drain grating 102 of the fully fitted floor drain system 100 is produced, is normally applied to the support structure. This type of intermediate layer can be produced, for example, by applying mortar material. It is also possible to produce the intermediate layer by means of insulating boards or similar. Care should be taken here to ensure that the inlet opening 151 of the drain housing 142 is still fully accessible when the intermediate layer is in position.

After completion of the intermediate layer the height of the latter is compensated using the height compensation device 118. For this purpose the pipe section 120 is cut to length in accordance with the height of the intermediate layer and then inserted into the inlet opening 151 of the drain housing 142. Here the seal 150 ensures that there is appropriate sealing of the drain housing 142 in relation to the pipe section 120 of the height compensation device 118.

The mortar or adhesive is now introduced such that the perforated support flange 122 of the height compensation device 118 ends flush with the upper side of the intermediate layer. By sticking down the sealing sleeve 116 an impermeable transition between the upper side of the support flange 122 and the upper side of the intermediate layer is then obtained.

In a further step the equalizing ring 112 is disposed in the annular indentation 123 of the height compensation device 118. Furthermore, the equalizing pipe 110 is pre-positioned with the grating frame 108 held onto the latter within the equalizing ring 112 so that sufficient space still remains between the equalizing ring 112 and the grating frame 108 for the floor covering to be laid. The floor covering, for example in the form of tiles, is then laid. During the laying of the floor covering against the grating frame 108 the equalizing ring 112 can be moved within the indentation 123, and so the equalizing pipe 110 can be moved within the pipe section 120 if this type of adjustment is required. After laying the floor covering the equalizing pipe 110 with the grating frame 108 held onto the latter is then pushed more deeply into the equalizing ring 112 until the upper side of the grating frame 108 ends up flush with the upper side of the floor covering. In a final step the drain grating 102 is fixed onto the grating frame 108.

If the waste water is to leave the floor drain system 100 vertically, rather than to the side, instead of the drain housing 142 a drain housing with vertical drainage, which otherwise has the same structure as the drain housing 142, can be used.

A disadvantage of the arrangement shown in FIG. 3 is that the floor drain system 100 as a whole is relatively high in structure. If, for example, a shower cubicle is to be installed on an existing floor, a relatively high pedestal has to be provided in order to be able to accommodate the individual components of the floor drain system 100.

A further disadvantage is that shortening of the pipe section 120 of the height compensation device 118 in accordance with the height of the intermediate layer is very laborious and time-consuming. Moreover, if the pipe section 120 is inadvertently shortened too much, the whole height compensation device 118 can no longer be used.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a floor drain system of the type specified at the start which has a small structural height. Furthermore, it is an object of the invention to provide a floor drain system wherein shortening of the height compensation device—if the latter is used—is not necessarily required. Moreover, in special applications it is made possible to reduce the number of components.

In order to achieve this object the present invention provides a floor drain system of the type specified at the start wherein the equalizing pipe and/or the grating frame is/are designed such that the odor trap can be fixed onto the latter. In contrast to the known floor drain system 100 described with reference to FIG. 3, the odor trap is therefore not attached to the drain housing, but to the equalizing pipe or to the grating frame. Correspondingly, the height of the drain housing, if the latter is used, can be reduced with the overall height of the odor trap remaining the same, by means of which the overall height of the floor drain system is also reduced.

In order to accommodate the odor trap a projection protruding radially inwards is preferably provided on an inner diameter of the equalizing pipe or of the grating frame. In this way simple fitting and dismantling of the odor trap is guaranteed.

Preferably a seal for sealing the odor trap in relation to the equalizing pipe or the grating frame is provided. Odors can correspondingly be prevented from escaping.

The floor drain system advantageously comprises a height compensation device for equalizing a thickness of an intermediate layer, the height compensation device having a pipe section and a support flange formed on the end of the pipe section. By providing this type of height compensation device the floor drain system according to the invention can be used very flexibly. In order to fix the height compensation device the support flange can have a series of passage openings through which mortar or adhesive can pass during fitting for the purpose of anchoring.

According to one embodiment of the present invention a seal, which accommodates the equalizing pipe height-adjustably, is provided on the internal diameter of the pipe section of the height compensation device.

Alternatively, the floor drain system can have an equalizing ring on the inner diameter of which a seal is provided which accommodates the equalizing pipe height-adjustably, the outer diameter of the equalizing pipe being smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe section of the height compensation device. In this way the equalizing pipe accommodated within the height compensation device can be pushed slightly to the side in a substantially horizontal direction so that the position of the grating frame is adjustable, within certain limits, in relation to the floor covering. In order to fix the equalizing ring the latter can also be provided with passage openings through which mortar or adhesive can passing during fitting. In order to accommodate the equalizing ring a substantially annular indentation is preferably formed on the support flange of the height compensation device, the outer diameter of the annular indentation being greater than the outer diameter of the equalizing ring such that the equalizing ring can be moved within the indentation.

If the waste water fed into the floor drain system according to the invention is to be discharged vertically, a waste water pipe of a local drainage system can be connected directly to the pipe section of the height compensation device. One can correspondingly dispense with a separate drain housing with a vertical drain, by means of which costs can be saved. With the known floor drain system described with reference to FIG. 3, however, the odor trap is attached to the drain housing, and this is why it is not readily possible to omit the drain housing.

Alternatively a drain housing with at least one vertical drain can of course also be provided, the drain housing comprising on its upper side an opening provided with a seal in which the pipe section of the height compensation device can be accommodated, in particular height-adjustably. The to advantage of this type of height-adjustable accommodation of the height compensation device in the drain housing is that, in contrast to the prior art, shortening of the length of the pipe section of the height compensation device is not necessary in most cases. In fact, the height of the intermediate layer is compensated by the pipe section of the height compensation device being pushed correspondingly deeply into the drain housing.

If the waste water fed into the floor drain system according to the invention is to be discharged to the side, the floor drain system according to the invention preferably has a drain housing having at least one side drain which on its upper side comprises an opening provided with a seal in which the pipe section of the height compensation device can be accommodated, in particular height-adjustably.

With regard to further advantageous embodiments of the invention reference is made to the sub-claims and to the following description of an exemplary embodiment with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 a perspective exploded view of a floor drain system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 a sectional view of the floor drain system shown in FIG. 1 in the assembled state, and

FIG. 3 a perspective exploded view of a known floor drain system.

The floor drain system 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a drain grating 12 which is preferably made of metal or plastic. On the drain grating 12 a number of drain openings 14 are formed through which the waster water can flow off. Furthermore, holes or recesses 16 are provided on the drain grating 12 which serve to accommodate attachment screws (not shown in detail).

Furthermore, the floor drain system 10 has an odor trap 18 with a base element 20 designed like a cup and an insert element 22, which are both preferably made of plastic. The base element 20 is made up of a cup-shaped section 24 and an annular section 26 which is held by spacing elements 28 on the upper side of the cup-shaped section 24, and defines a support surface for the insert element 22. The insert element 22 is substantially funnel-shaped in design and has on its upper end an annular groove 30 in which an O ring 32 is held.

In order to accommodate the drain grating 12 a grating frame 34 is provided, which is also preferably made of metal or plastic. Formed on the grating frame 34 are holes 36 provided with threads so that the drain grating 12 can be screwed onto the grating frame 34. The grating frame 34 is in turn attached to an equalizing grating 38 which is provided for equalizing a floor covering thickness. In the upper region of the equalizing pipe 38 projections 39 protruding radially inwards are formed which constitute support surfaces for the odor trap 18, in particular for the lower side of the annular section 26 of the odor trap 18.

The floor drain system 10 further comprises a equalizing ring 40 made of plastic which is provided along its inner diameter with a seal 42. Along the circumference of the equalizing ring 40 passage openings 44 are formed through which mortar or adhesive for fixing the equalizing ring 40 can penetrate during fitting of the floor drain system 10.

As a further component a sealing sleeve 46 designed like a mat is provided, only half of which is shown in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes.

In order to equalize a thickness of an intermediate layer the floor drain system 10 comprises a height compensation device 48 which is preferably made of plastic. The height compensation device 48 is made up of a pipe section 50 and an annular support flange 52 formed on the end of the pipe section 50 and projecting radially outwards. On the inner circumference of the support flange 52 an annular indentation 53 is formed for accommodating the equalizing ring 40. The outer diameter of the annular indentation 53 is greater than that of the equalizing ring 40, and the outer diameter of the equalizing pipe 38 is designed to be smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe section 50 of the height compensation device 48 so that that the equalizing ring 40 can be moved within the annular indentation 53 and the equalizing pipe 38 can be moved within the pipe section 50. In this way, within certain limits, fine positioning of the grating frame 34 is made possible during fitting. Along its outer circumference the support flange 52 is furthermore provided with a plurality of passage openings 54 which when fitting the floor drain system 10 bring about clamping of the height compensation device 48 to the mortar or adhesive used.

Moreover, the floor drain system 10 comprises a drain housing 56 with a pot-shaped section 58, a tubular drain 60 extending sideways from the pot-shaped section 58, and an annular flange section 62 formed on the upper end of the pot-shaped section 58 and extending radially outwards 62, which defines an inlet opening 66 delimited by a seal 64.

In order to fit the floor drain system 10 the drain housing 56 is initially inserted into a correspondingly dimensioned opening of a support structure such that the flange section 62 lies on the upper side of the support structure. Next the drain 60 of the drain housing 56 is connected to an existing drainage system.

In a next step an intermediate layer is normally applied to the support structure by means of which an incline sloping towards the drain grating 12 of the fully fitted floor drain system 10 is produced. This type of intermediate layer can be produced, for example, by applying mortar material. It is also possible to produce the intermediate layer by means of insulating plates or similar. Care should be taken here to ensure that the inlet opening 66 of the drain housing 56 is still totally accessible when the intermediate layer is in position.

After the intermediate layer has been completed the height of the latter is compensated using the height compensation device 48. For this purpose the pipe section 50 is inserted into the inlet opening 66 of the drain housing 56. Here the seal 64 provides appropriate sealing of the drain housing 56 in relation to the pipe section 50 of the height compensation device 48. Within the drain housing 56 the pipe section 50 of the height compensation device 48 can be moved in the height direction so that the distance between the upper side of the flange section 62 of the drain housing 56 and the lower side of the support flange 52 of the height compensation device 48 can be adjusted dependently upon the thickness of the intermediate layer. It is normally not necessary here to cut the pipe section 50 of the height compensation device 48 to length.

The mortar or adhesive is now introduced such that the perforated support flange 52 of the height compensation device 48 ends up flush with the upper side of the intermediate layer. By sticking down the sealing sleeve an impermeable transition between the upper side of the support flange 52 and the upper side of the intermediate layer is then obtained.

In a further step the insert element 22 of the odor trap 18 is inserted into the associated base element 20. The fitted odor trap 18 is then inserted into the equalizing pipe 38 with the grating frame 34 held onto the latter until the lower side of the annular section 26 comes to rest on the upper side of the radially inwardly protruding projections 39.

Subsequently, the equalizing ring 40 is disposed in the annular indentation 53 of the height compensation device 48, and the equalizing pipe 38 with the grating frame 34 held onto the latter and the odor trap 18 are pressed lightly into the equalizing ring 40 so that sufficient space for the floor covering to be laid still remains between the equalizing ring 40 and the ring to be laid still remains between the equalizing ring 40 and the grating frame 34. The floor covering, for example in the form of tiles, is then laid. While the tiles are being laid against the grating frame 34 the equalizing ring 40 can be moved within the indentation 53, and so the equalizing pipe 38 can be moved within the pipe section 50 in order to achieve fine positioning of the grating frame 34. After laying the floor covering the equalizing pipe 38 is pushed more deeply into the equalizing ring 40 until the upper side of the grating frame 34 ends up flush with the upper side of the floor covering. Sealing of the equalizing pipe 38 in relation to the equalizing ring 40 is implemented here by means of the seal 42. In a final step the drain grating 12 is attached to the grating frame 34.

The structure of the floor drain system 10 according to the invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is on the one hand advantageous to the effect that due to the height-adjustable accommodation of the height compensation device 48 within the drain housing 56, shortening of the length of the pipe section 50 when compensating the thickness of the intermediate layer is normally not required. On the other hand there is the advantage to the effect that the total structural height of the floor drain system is smaller in comparison to the known floor drain system described with reference to FIG. 3 because the odor trap 18 is fixed not in the drain housing 56, but in the equalizing pipe 38, or alternatively on the grating frame 34. Correspondingly, the drain housing 56 can be designed to be flatter because it does not have to accommodate the whole odor trap.

If the waste water is to leave the floor drain system 10 vertically rather than to the side, as is the case, for example, with an opening in the ceiling, a waste water pipe of a local drainage system can also be connected directly to the pipe section 50 of the height compensation device 48. With this version one can totally dispense with a drain housing. Alternatively, a drain housing with a vertical drain, the structure of which otherwise corresponds to that of the drain housing 56, can of course also be used.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

-   10 Floor drain system 100 Floor drain system -   12 Drain grating 102 Drain grating -   14 Drain opening 104 Passage opening -   16 Hole 106 Hole -   18 Odor trap 108 Grating frame -   20 Base element 110 Equalizing pipe -   22 Insert element 112 Equalizing ring -   24 Cup-shaped section 116 Sealing sleeve -   26 Annular section 118 Height compensation -   28 Spacing element device -   30 Annular groove 120 Pipe section -   32 O ring 122 Support flange -   34 Grating frame 123 Indentation -   36 Hole 124 Passage opening -   740 Equalizing pipe 126 Odor trap -   39 Projection 128 Base element -   40 Equalizing ring 130 Insert element -   42 Seal 132 Cup section -   44 Passage opening 134 Annular section -   46 Sealing sleeve 136 Spacing element -   48 Height compensation device 138 Annular groove -   50 Pipe section 140 0 ring -   52 Support flange 142 Drain housing -   53 Indentation 144 Pot-shaped section -   54 Passage opening 146 Drain -   56 Drain housing 148 Flange section -   58 Pot-like section 150 Seal -   60 Tubular drain 151 Inlet opening -   62 Flange section 152 Projection -   64 Seal -   66 Inlet opening -   100 Floor drain system -   102 Drain grating -   104 Passage opening -   106 Hole -   108 Grating frame -   110 Equalizing pipe -   112 Equalizing ring -   116 Sealing sleeve -   118 Height compensation device -   120 Pipe section -   122 Support flange -   123 Indentation -   124 Passage opening -   126 Odor trap -   128 Base element -   130 Insert Element -   132 Cup section -   134 Annular section -   136 Spacing element -   138 Annular groove -   140 O ring -   142 Drain housing -   144 Pot-shaped section -   146 Drain -   148 Flange section -   150 Seal -   151 Inlet opening -   152 Projection 

1. A floor drain system (10) having a grating frame (34) for accommodating a drain grating (12), an equalizing pipe (38) on which the grating frame (34) is held and which is disposed height-adjustably on a further component of the floor drain system (10) in order to equalize a floor covering thickness, and an odor trap (18), wherein the equalizing pipe (38) and/or the grating frame (34) is/are designed such that the odor trap (18) can be fixed onto the latter.
 2. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 1, wherein in order to accommodate the odor trap (18) at least one projection (39) protruding radially inwards is provided on an inner diameter of the equalizing pipe (38) or the grating frame (34).
 3. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 1, wherein a seal (32) for sealing the odor trap (18) in relation to the equalizing pipe (38) or the grating frame (34) is provided.
 4. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 1, wherein a height compensation device (48) for equalizing a thickness of an intermediate layer is provided which has a pipe section (50) and a support flange (52) formed on the end of the pipe section (50).
 5. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 4, wherein a seal, which accommodates the equalizing pipe (38) height-adjustably, is provided on the inner diameter of the pipe section (50) of the height compensation device (48).
 6. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 4, wherein an equalizing ring (40) is provided on the inner diameter of which a seal (42) is provided which accommodates the equalizing pipe (38) height-adjustably, the outer diameter of the equalizing pipe (38) being smaller than the inner diameter of the pipe section (50) of the height compensation device (48).
 7. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 6, wherein in order to accommodate the equalizing ring (40) a substantially annular indentation (53) is formed on the support flange (52) of the height compensation device (48), the outer diameter of the annular indentation (53) being greater than the outer diameter of the equalizing ring (40) such that the equalizing ring (40) can be moved within the indentation (53).
 8. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 4, wherein a drain housing having at least one vertical drain is provided which on its upper side has an opening provided with a seal in which the pipe section (50) of the height compensation device (48) can be accommodated, in particular height-adjustably.
 9. The floor drain system (10) according to claim 4, wherein a drain housing (56) having at least one side drain (60) is provided which on its upper side has an opening (66) provided with a seal (64) in which the pipe section (50) of the height compensation device (48) can be accommodated, in particular height-adjustably. 